Chapter 34: Tempo (3)

Translator: Dreamscribe

The party venue she'd come to as a build-up for digging into the 'New Light Truth Church'. And there, she'd confirmed CEO Han Tae-sung. Watching him, Ha Yeon-ji couldn't help picturing the face of Commander Kang Jae-ha.

It wasn't strange.

The head of Leon Entertainment, where her Commander worked, was CEO Han Tae-sung. And here he was, at what she suspected was a 'New Light Truth Church' gathering. Ha Yeon-ji had felt a flicker of panic, so she quickly pulled herself together.

'Just act normal for now.'

Worried that she might catch CEO Han Tae-sung's eye, she turned her body away, moved to a nearby table, and picked up a fresh glass of champagne.

'CEO Han Tae-sung, is that guy a 'New Light Truth Church' follower too?'

Ha Yeon-ji had her suspicions, but she couldn't be 100% certain. Still, she couldn't rule it out either. CEO Han Tae-sung might be a member of 'New Light Truth Church', or he might not be. Ha Yeon-ji thought the odds leaned toward yes.

'That side's dangerous. Steer clear for now.'

Ha Yeon-ji drifted a little farther from the group CEO Han Tae-sung was in. Getting noticed by that crowd was trouble enough, but the one she really had to be careful of was Han Tae-sung. CEO Han Tae-sung, the so-called self-made legend.

How sharp would his instincts be, how fast would he read the room?

'If he really is 'New Light Truth Church', then now's the time to steer clear more than ever.'

Setting the Han Tae-sung matter aside for the moment, she scanned the corners of the hall. A few clusters of people were visible in the corners. Among them, a group of three. One woman, two men. The woman wore a slightly uncomfortable expression. Ha Yeon-ji's instincts told her they were mid-proselytizing.

Ha Yeon-ji approached the group.

She slipped in casually, shook hands, and exchanged greetings, and the two men and the woman received her handshake and greeting without much guard. Or maybe it was more like they were on guard but pretending not to be. Soon Ha Yeon-ji brought up the theme of the party. Had she heard right about what this was? The reply came from the smiling man.

"Haha, isn't that what everyone came here knowing?"

"Ah, right? There are more well-known faces here than I expected."

While answering, Ha Yeon-ji had already met the physical-contact condition through the handshake and used her ability. The 'Smell', that is. To determine deception. Soon she caught a thick stench coming off the men she was talking to.

'Yep, total lie.'

It only confirmed further that this was a 'New Light Truth Church' gathering.

That night.

Kang Jae-ha met Ha Yeon-ji at the 'MEG' office. Of course, Lee Chan-hoo was there too. After hearing Ha Yeon-ji out, Jae-ha crossed his legs. His expression was quite grave.

"'New Light Truth Church', huh..."

He'd apparently already heard about 'New Light Truth Church' from Ha Yeon-ji.

"The cult you've been digging into was 'New Light Truth Church'?"

"Huh? You've heard of them too, Commander?"

"I've heard of them. A few times through rumors. Not often."

"Like what?"

"Usual stuff. Tabloid-level."

"As in, so-and-so's supposedly a cult member, that kind of thing?"

"Right. And that cult was 'New Light Truth Church'."

Lee Chan-hoo stroked his chin.

"Huh, so a cult like that really exists."

Ha Yeon-ji was quicker to answer.

"Beyond just existing, the estimated number of believers alone is in the hundreds of thousands, and at that scale..."

"It's practically the population of a mid-sized city."

"That's not a cult, that's just their own country."

"Power, influence, and plenty of cash too. Somehow it feels a lot like our Mercenary Corps."

"You crazy bastard, it's a cult. We were a cult?"

"Just saying it has that vibe. Also, crazy bastard? Watch it."

"Sorry. My bad."

"Yeah, noted."

Chin propped on her hand, mid back-and-forth with Lee Chan-hoo, Ha Yeon-ji was the one Kang Jae-ha now turned to.

"So. You're digging into this 'New Light Truth Church'. Why are you explaining it to us?"

"Today, at the place I thought was their party, guess who I saw."

"Who?"

"CEO Han Tae-sung."

"......"

Kang Jae-ha stayed quiet for a moment, then looked at Ha Yeon-ji. Then he let out a small, amused laugh.

"Interesting. CEO Han Tae-sung was at a 'New Light Truth Church' party?"

"Yeah. Even I was a little shocked when I saw him."

"Hmm."

Having acquired new information, Kang Jae-ha updated his mental file on CEO Han Tae-sung, and along with it, raised his level of caution around 'New Light Truth Church'. Around this point, Lee Chan-hoo cut in.

"But it's not certain CEO Han Tae-sung is a 'New Light Truth Church' believer, right?"

The answer came from the Commander, Kang Jae-ha.

"Whether the guy is or isn't in 'New Light Truth Church' isn't the point."

"Well, true. It's hard to imagine CEO Han Tae-sung walking into a place like that with no information at all, and even if he did, 'New Light Truth Church' would've pulled him in anyway."

"Either way, the right move is to lock in that CEO Han Tae-sung is connected to 'New Light Truth Church' and go from there."

That meant 'New Light Truth Church' wasn't entirely unrelated to Kang Jae-ha anymore either. Uncrossing his legs, he fixed his gaze on Ha Yeon-ji.

"So. You planning to keep digging into 'New Light Truth Church'?"

"For now, yeah. If you tell me to drop it, Commander, I'll drop it."

"Wasn't that what you wanted in the first place? Keep going. Something smells off. But move slowly. You'll know better than I do."

"Obviously. I'm a pro, a pro. You peel it back in stages. Peel too fast and I slip. Besides, breaking through the 'New Light Truth Church' walls isn't exactly easy to begin with."

"Good. Before any infiltration, always send your location."

At the order, Ha Yeon-ji's fighting spirit flared up.

"Hah, this is it. This is what I wanted!"

Morning of the 27th. 'MEG' office.

In front of the 'MEG' office stood a man who looked like a gangster. On closer inspection, he wasn't a gangster. It was Oh Jong-man. He checked the time and let out a small breath.

"Whew."

After knocking, he opened the glass door. Soon, a man in a suit sitting near the window stood to welcome him. It was Lee Chan-hoo. With a faint smile, Lee Chan-hoo rose and asked.

"Writer Oh Jong-man?"

"Ah, yes, yes."

"Haha, pleasure to meet you."

Shaking Oh Jong-man's hand casually, Lee Chan-hoo gestured to a six-person table.

"Have a seat. You've got a surprisingly strong presence, Writer."

"Right? I get that a lot."

"It's a compliment, a compliment."

Lee Chan-hoo had already received Oh Jong-man's story and profile from Kang Jae-ha. Still, he was a little taken aback by Oh Jong-man's powerful first impression.

'Killer visual. Most guys'd get intimidated just looking at him.'

Oh Jong-man, for his part, found Lee Chan-hoo more at ease than expected.

'This guy's pretty personable.'

In any case, the two sat across from each other, and Lee Chan-hoo introduced himself, handing over a business card.

"Lee Chan-hoo with 'MEG'."

"Yes, Oh Jong-man."

Tense, Oh Jong-man wet his lips and asked.

"When you say a contract, you mean, you're approaching me as a writer, right?"

"Correct."

"...Feeling?"

"Yes. You've got the potential to hit big, Writer. That's why I'm offering a contract. Uh, before I hand over the contract itself, let me walk you through the terms."

Oh Jong-man's resolved expression turned serious.

"I'll hear you out."

"......A workspace."

"The idea is to free you up so you can focus entirely on writing."

Lee Chan-hoo continued rattling off contract terms to Oh Jong-man. All cleared with Kang Jae-ha, of course. Listening to the terms in a daze, Oh Jong-man, struggling to believe it, asked again.

"Th, those terms, you're signing me under??"

"Yes. It might feel overwhelming now, but we're just padding the standard contract a little in your favor."

Lee Chan-hoo also gave a brief rundown of the company 'MEG'. The story tracked closely with what he'd told Director Kwon Sung-min. On the surface, a newcomer, but an investment firm with big ambitions. Lee Chan-hoo's explanation ran about ten minutes, and the decision rested with Oh Jong-man, who was still feeling a bit dazed by it all.

"Writer, would you like to think it over?"

Faced with the question, Oh Jong-man even considered calling Kang Jae-ha. But.

'No. I should handle something at this level myself.'

He set the thought aside. And made his decision.

"No. These terms are more than generous. I'll sign."

The terms really were more than generous. Oh Jong-man was currently just one of countless no-name writers. No, it was worse than that. No agency would ever offer a guy in his situation terms like these. A contract itself would be impossible.

Only thanks to Kang Jae-ha's instructions was this even happening.

"Haha, good call. Looking forward to working with you, Writer."

"Yes, yes, CEO-nim. Likewise!"

As soon as they'd wrapped up the contract, Lee Chan-hoo asked Oh Jong-man.

"Yes."

"I'll put together info on this year's one-act competitions, including the various broadcasters, and send it your way. Uh, and I've also set up a YouTube channel of my own."

Lee Chan-hoo's expression shifted as he changed topics.

A few days later.

The weather gradually warmed, and short sleeves became a fairly common sight on the streets. April had ended and May had begun.

May 1st.

At that moment, in the 'Condensation' editing room, Director Kwon Sung-min, dark circles heavy under his eyes, sat with-

"......"

"......"

Several others sitting in silence. CEO Jeong Tae-woo and the 'Condensation' Key Staff, watching Director Kwon Sung-min without a word. They looked to be swallowing hard, waiting for something.

Then Director Kwon Sung-min, who had been staring at the many monitors, took off his glasses and stood up.

-Swish.

Followed by a triumphant stretch. A smile spread across Director Kwon Sung-min's haggard face.

"It's done. Final check included."

That meant the roughly 40-minute edit of 'Condensation' was finished. At once, CEO Jeong Tae-woo grabbed Director Kwon Sung-min by both shoulders and cried out.

"Director! Great work! Seriously, great work!"

"...Thank you, CEO-nim."

The Key Staff who had been waiting burst into cheers, and CEO Jeong Tae-woo put on a energetic expression.

"Then I'll submit it to the 'Busan International Film Festival' right away."

Director Kwon Sung-min nodded without a word. From here on, from the moment it was submitted to the 'Busan International Film Festival', there was nothing more the director or CEO Jeong Tae-woo could do. The decision was entirely up to the 'Busan International Film Festival' side.

Rejection or invitation.

Even if it was finally selected and formally invited, it would further split into the competition section, where the film could win an award in front of everyone, or the non-competition section, where no award was possible and only the screening would go ahead.

Either way, the odds leaned toward rejection, and even a non-competition slot would be more than Director Kwon Sung-min could hope for. Even just being invited meant the 'Busan International Film Festival' itself would promote the work.

Soon, CEO Jeong Tae-woo rushed out of the editing room.

"Director, let's have a meal to celebrate wrapping the edit. A meal."

The Key Staff tried to get Director Kwon Sung-min to eat, but Kwon Sung-min shook his head, his voice nearly dead.

"I, I just want to get some sleep. I barely slept the whole edit."

"Ah, of course. Go rest, quickly."

As a result, the Key Staff had to head to the restaurant without Director Kwon Sung-min. What they picked was a gukbap place. It was packed, and the seat they took was a four-person table near the entrance.

Once the Key Staff had finished ordering and begun chatting, a news anchor's voice came from the TV mounted on the wall.

"The semiconductor cluster that was set to house domestic and international semiconductor companies centered around MK Electronics has been officially confirmed today, May 1st, for the Baegam-myeon area of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province."

The Key Staff let out sounds of admiration. Kang Jae-ha, however, had already seen this scene back in early April. He too was aware of the news about the semiconductor cluster.

Location was his own desk at Team 4.

'There it is.'

A smile rose on his lips as the screen of his laptop displayed the article.

《[Breaking] The 110 trillion won semiconductor cluster, which had kept everyone guessing until the last minute, has been confirmed for the Baegam-myeon area of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province / Photo》

《Semiconductor cluster, long speculated across multiple locations, confirmed for Baegam-myeon, Yongin! Not the Idong-eup side of Yongin after all》

All sorts of information was flooding in.

Kang Jae-ha could already see the 2.5 billion won he'd sunk into the land multiplying several times over.

'Things are going to blow up starting tomorrow. No, starting today?'

At the same moment, Kang Jae-ha's phone, sitting beside his laptop, gave a short buzz.

-Bzzt.

A text had come in. The sender was Lee Chan-hoo. It read like this.

-Commander, they say the first test screening for 'House of the Daytime Moon' is being set for next week.

Meaning 'House of the Daytime Moon' was also on the verge of launch.

After checking the message, Kang Jae-ha abruptly picked up the stack of paper lying near his laptop. A bundle of profiles. Profiles of the washed-up artists assigned to Team 4. Ones Jae-ha had printed out separately from what he had saved on his laptop.

'Quite a lot of them.'

Even a rough glance put the profiles well over several dozen. And this wasn't even all of them. He hadn't pulled the washed-ups whose contracts had already ended. In any case, Kang Jae-ha set aside the three at the very front of the stack.

Yoon Da-yeon's, An Ji-hee's, and Oh Jong-man's.

They were still nobodies, or washed-ups, but Kang Jae-ha had already put them on life support. Special-management targets. All three had their engines running, so he'd gathered them separately, and Kang Jae-ha ran his eyes over the remaining dozens of profiles.

'To anyone else, these are just scraps of paper, totally useless.'

It was a safe bet that others saw these Team 4 profiles as nothing but garbage. Team 4 was Leon's trash bin to begin with. Would anyone bother with profiles assigned there?

But to Kang Jae-ha, it looked different.

Both an asset and a fortune.

A lineup that sat at rock bottom or was wildly undervalued, but with the right handling could hit a jackpot no one else could imagine. Looking over the profiles, Kang Jae-ha smiled faintly. Actors, singers, idols, comedians, broadcasters, his fortune was remarkably varied.

'Let's see.'

Kang Jae-ha was just about to pick one out, any one of them.

In that instant, his vision blurred. Goosebumps rose on both forearms. Then came a sense of déjà vu. It was 'Deja Vu'. But it was different from usual. There was no one in front of him right now to trigger a 'Deja Vu'.

Same as with Kim Ho-yeon. A 'Deja Vu' of a different type.

Soon, against his will, a scene that wasn't reality appeared in Kang Jae-ha's view.

『It was a parking lot. A lot of cars were busy parking. Judging by the scale of the lot, it looked like a large retail store or somewhere similar. Staff were directing cars with hand signals. All wearing the same uniform. Among them, one man stood out. He had to be at least 190 cm tall, and his build was massive.

Short hair, and hands to match.

Suddenly, someone barked harshly at the huge man. A man with sagging jowls.

"Go Chun-seok-ssi!!!"

The man called Go Chun-seok flinched and turned his head. The man with the sagging jowls growled at him.

"I told you to just go along with whatever the customers ask, didn't I?!! Even if it's ridiculous, I told you to just go along with it! Another complaint came in!! Why the hell do I have to be the one getting yelled at?!!"

In that moment, the huge man's, or rather Go Chun-seok's, brow twitched.』

Mid-'Deja Vu', Kang Jae-ha was certain. The monstrous physique, the brute strength to match. He definitely knew that face.

'Go Chun-seok.'

He was the one who had always led the charge in the Mercenary Corps's wars.